Global Health & Profiles

Characteristics of Global Measures

Broad assessment of multiple symptoms and functions
Symptoms and functions combined into summary scores (e.g., Global Health, Global Physical Health, Global Mental Health)
Brief (2-10 items)

Measure Length Matters

PROMIS® includes 2-, 4-, and 10-item global health measures. They vary in measurement precision. The table below provides guidance on when to use each measure.

When to Use

Useful when comparing large groups of individuals
Required component in some patient-reported outcome measure performance measures (see THA/TKA Global Health (CMS))

Caution

Because these measures produce Global or overall scores, it is difficult to tease apart the contributions of specific domains like Physical Function, Pain, or Fatigue to a summary score.
These multi-domain summary scores may be less useful in providing actionable information in a clinical encounter.

When to Use PROMIS Global 2-, 4-, and 10-item Measures

Measure Name	# of Items	When to Use
PROMIS Scale v1.2 – Global Health	10	This option is recommended for most purposes. Participants can complete 10 items (e.g., they have sufficient time). You want information on both Global Mental Health and Global Physical Health. You want to be able to estimate an EQ-5D-3L score. You want to estimate group average T-scores for Physical Function, Pain Interference, Pain Intensity, Fatigue, Anger, Anxiety, Depression, Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities, and/or Satisfaction with Participation in Social Roles and Activities based on single item responses. Note: score estimates will have very wide confidence intervals and are not recommended for use with an individual patient.
PROMIS Scale v1.2 – Global Mental Health 4a	4	You only want a Global Mental Health score. You are using a score to either evaluate an individual patient (e.g., monitoring mental health over time) or compare groups of patients. You are collecting the measure under a specific requirement, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services total knee/total hip arthroplasty patient-reported outcome performance measure (TKA/THA PRO-PM).
PROMIS Scale v1.2 – Global Mental 2a	2	You only want a Global Mental Health score. You are working with very large samples. This measure is not recommended for small samples or for assessing an individual patient.
PROMIS Scale v1.2 – Global Physical Health 4a	4	You only want a Global Physical Health score. You are using a score to either evaluate an individual patient (e.g., monitoring physical health over time) or compare groups of patients.
PROMIS Scale v1.2 – Global Physical 2a	2	You only want a Global Physical Health score. You are working with very large samples. This measure is not recommended for small samples or for assessing an individual patient.

Characteristics of Profile Measures

Fixed set of either PROMIS short forms or computer adaptive tests (CATs)
Vary in total length (16-57 items)
Cover a wide range of health domains
Produce a score for each domain (e.g., PROMIS-29 produces scores for Anxiety, Depression, Fatigue, Pain Interference, Pain Intensity, Sleep Disturbance, Physical Function, and Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities.

Measure Length Matters

PROMIS profiles include different length short forms or CATs. They vary in measurement precision. The table below provides guidance on when to use each profile measure.

Recommended: PROMIS Profile CAT v1.0 – 29

This Profile includes 7 CATs that are fixed to administer 4 items each.
These CATs are shorter than other CATs, which could administer up to 8 or even 12 items.
This Profile measure gives the advantages of CATs (appropriate for all uses, brief, precise) with only 29 items across 7 domains.

When to Use

Useful for comprehensive assessment of multiple domains of health.
Depending on the profile length, can be used for screening, comparing large groups, comparing small groups, and monitoring an individual patient.

Caution

Not all PROMIS Profiles can be used for all purposes. Select the profile measure that matches your goals.

When to use PROMIS Profile Measures

To select the best Profile measure for you, identify if you are using it as a screening tool, comparing large groups (subgroups larger than 50-75 people), comparing small groups (subgroups smaller than 50-75 people), or evaluating individuals (e.g., for individual patient care). In addition, identify if you need a Cognitive Function score or would like to calculate a PROPr score.

Profile Measure Name	Length of Short Forms	# of Items	Includes Cognitive Function?	Produces a PROPr Score?	Use for Screening?	Use for Comparing Large Groups?	Use for Comparing Small Groups and Individual Evaluation?
PROMIS-29	4	29	No	Only if you estimate a Cognitive Function score	Yes	Yes for Anxiety, Depression, and Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities only	No
PROMIS-43	6	43	No	Only if you estimate a Cognitive Function score	No. Too long for a screening measure	Yes for Anxiety, Depression, Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities, Pain Interference, and Fatigue only	Yes for Pain Interference only
PROMIS-57	8	57	No	Only if you estimate a Cognitive Function score	No. Too long for a screening measure	Yes	Yes
PROMIS-16 (PROPr)	2	16	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
PROMIS-29+2 (PROPr)	4	31	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes for Anxiety, Depression, and Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities only	No
PROMIS Profile CAT – 29	4-item CATs	29	No	Only if you estimate a Cognitive Function score	Yes	Yes	Yes

Last updated: September 28, 2026